Wortenia Senki (WN)

Volume 3 Chapter 20 (Eastern Invasion 4)

Early month, 10th month, the year 2812, western continent calendar: (Eastern Invasion 4)

“””Charge!”””

Cavalry Knights holding spears charged towards the Ortomea army’s line.

And the foot soldiers followed behind them while brandishing their spears.

“What are you doing?! Ready your spears! Surround them and kill them! Don’t let go of your weapon!”

Ortomea’s commander shouted the order.

He gives instructions to his confused subordinates who were frightened by the enemy’s cavalry assault. Due to his shout, the restless knights begin to calm down.

The frontline commanders immediately follow the order and repeat the order to their squad.

“Surround them! Don’t be frightened!”

The commanders who realize their subordinates being frightened reprimanded them.

After that, the Ortomea soldiers begin to direct their spears toward the charging cavalry.

“The real value of cavalry is their mobility and rushing force! That’s why, if we manage to stop their movement, we can finish them!”

One of the Ortomea commanding officer who ordered the soldiers to surround Zalda cavalry knights smiled.

Although the attack strength and maneuverability of a cavalry is excellent, their defense and endurance are low.

Even if their body is hardened with metal armors. No matter how strong their horses are, a living thing has its limitation. - Not to mention, it is not wise to plunge into the enemy line and fight on the spot without trying to withdraw.

In fact, the moment one of the Zalda Kingdom cavalry stop and swung their spear, they will fall from their horse and die.

With cavalry unit, the moment they cannot withdraw, they can only swing their spears.

And the cost for such reckless charge is big. Because the foot soldiers who followed them from behind would end up getting pressured as well.

And they end up with only half survived.

“Good! Just like this, crush them all! If we succeed here, we will get a lot of war merits!”

Ortomea commanding officer smiled showing his greed and desire.

Knights who can ride horses usually have a high position. Taking the lives of such Knights greatly affect one’s war merits.

That is why the commanding officer faces greatly relaxed. However, his expectation was being crushed by the reality that happens.

“Unit commander! There’s another wave!”

“W-What?!”

The mind of the unit commanding officer who heard of the report of his subordinates froze.

It was because the report was too unexpected.

“What should we do?! If we stay like this we will end up being sandwiched instead!”

Even without being told by his subordinate, the commanding officer understood how dangerous the situation is.

To deal with the enemy’s other unit, he has to draw back his troops and regroup.

However, once he does that, he will give another chance to the Zalda Knights whom he has painstakingly surrounded.

(It can’t be helped… I can only divide the troops.)

In case one is being sandwiched, there is only a few way to deal with it. His judgment is not wrong. But, to perform this measure, there’s no time for his unit to break up.

At the time he was preoccupied with his subordinate report and thinking about countermeasures, he committed an irreparable mistake.

Something cold entered his belly.

The surrounding noise disappeared from his ears. And a sense of something warm slides down on his skins.

There’s no pain. However, a feeling of heavy fatigue assaulted his body.

“You bastard…”

A spear is being pushed into his stomach from the side.

His eyes finally manage to focus on, what he saw is a body of the Zalda Kingdom knight dyed with blood from his subordinates attack.

-

Approximately 1000 new troops attacked Ortomea’s frontline soldiers.

They joined up with the troops that rushed earlier than them…

Contrary to the Ortomea side expectation, the enemy charges into the battle formation once again.

Surpassing Saitou’s expectation, where he thought that the enemy’s new unit that appeared has come to rescue the unit that is being surrounded.

“Khu! Why, why they are not withdrawing? What are you people intend to do?! Are they planning on giving up their lives?!”

The Zalda Kingdom’s central Knights are pushing the line forward one step at a time.

They repeated their reckless charges again and again as if they are losing their mind. No matter how much Ortomea knights kill them, they seem not wavering.

Normally, after an army executes an assault they would immediately withdraw from the front line, and rebuild their formation.

Of course, that was the case when the enemy is not blocking the path, but it is impossible to not choose to withdraw. Especially when you took command of a cavalry unit.

Of course, in a war what matter is winning. As long you win the war, the method is not important.

However, in Saitou’s eyes, the Zalda Kingdom’s attack looks like a desperate attack. In his eyes, the Zalda kingdom commander seems to have abandoned the winning possibility and appears to have chosen to kill the Ortomea soldiers as much as possible.

“What’s going on? Why their advance speed did not falter? If we let them proceed like this, her highness plan would get ruined!”

Saitou bitterly scowled at the scene.

His duty is to lure the Zalda Kingdom soldiers until the place where the Ortomea soldiers are laying in ambush.

This mission where he lured the Zalda Kingdom army while moderately engage them and preserve his allied soldiers as much as possible is crucial.

Fighting the enemy while making it as natural as possible, he also needs to draw back the troops without letting them getting sucked into a confused fight.

Despite that, Saitou and the Zalda army were fighting a rough battle that could be called a quagmire.

The Ortomea army who wants to withdraw. And the Zalda army who does not want to let them go.

The problem is, the Zalda army does not seem to rush at all.

Although the Zalda army formed a horizontal formation, the one who performs pushing is only the center part.

It felt like the unit deployed on the sides are only wanting to nail the Ortomea army in place rather than trying to advance.

“Vice-leader! Both right and left wings are hopeless! Far from reinforcing the central part, their wing seems to stay stand still! Those Zalda bunch, they are not advancing at all, but when we tried to lure them, they persistently keep us fighting. They completely stopped our movement!”

It was someone from the Night Demon chivalric order who ran desperately to report to Saitou.

“Cih, what are they aiming at…”

From Saitou’s point of view, the situation has turned into something unnatural.

The central force of Zalda Kingdom is rushing while abandoning their lives.

The left and right wings of Zalda troops that appeared after them harassing Ortomea army making Ortomea army unable to withdraw.

Due to Ortomea using crane wing formation to surround the enemy at the beginning, the Zalda Kingdom army formation begin to change from a horizontal formation into a fish scale formation.

(It can’t be… This guy…)

A single hypothesis appeared inside Saitou’s mind.

(It can’t be, are these guys aiming at her highness head?)

Saitou who came up with such conclusion shuddered.

He began to realize Zalda kingdom strong fighting spirit.

(Are they insane? To aim her highness head like this… Certainly, if they manage to take her highness Sardina’s head then they would win this war… However, the possibility of that to happen is even lower than 5%. Besides, whether or not they manage to do it, their army will without a doubt suffering a devastating loss! But why are they still willing to bet on it like this?! No, the reason is not important right now… First, we need to rebuild our front line…)

Saitou’s immediately shakes off the doubt in his mind and start thinking for countermeasures.

Either way, the Zalda kingdom central troops has descended into madness, and due to the suicidal attack by them, the horizontal formation had changed into the shape of a fish scale formation.

If he does not rebuild the formation it would be dangerous for Sardina, because of the possibility that the enemy might penetrate the central formation. -

After thinking about it for a second, Saitou immediately made a quick decision.

“Messenger! Change of plan, at this place, we will fight the Zalda Kingdom’s army. Tell the situation to her highness Sardina immediately! Listen! inform her that the Zalda kingdom army might aim at her head!”

The place where the north and south detached units will perform their ambush is still 3km away toward the west

That place has small hills from three directions, north, west, and south, a perfect place to perform an ambush.

And it is Saitou’s job to lure the Zalda army there, and if he manages to do that, his ally would be able to decimate the entire Zalda army.

However, Saitou has given up on luring the enemy toward that place.

He was being cornered by the desperate enemy’s soldiers and driven to a situation where he might be defeated if he keeps trying on retreating.

Furthermore, if the enemy manages to break through the battlefield here, there’s a chance that Sardina would meet with danger.

Of course, there are still troops guarding her but, there’s still the chance the enemy manage to break through that as well.

If that is the case then, only one choice remaining.

He has to stop retreating and prevent Zalda’s offensive right here.

(If we manage to report to her highness Sardina in time, her highness will surely turn the detached forces toward this place, and attack the Zalda kingdom from the rear… Only the point of ambush change… However, the damage to our troops would be high, damn it that persistent bastard!)

For Ortomea side, even if they win, it is not enough.

They also need to reduce the casualties as much as possible.

If they failed to do that, Ortomea Empire would not be able to advance.

Saitou who understand that curses the Zalda Kingdom commander for doing what he did right now.

“Immediately inform the reserve unit! Hold the Zalda army in this place at all cost! Don’t let them break through! I’m sure, Her Highness will immediately send the reinforcement! Until then, do not let them break through!”

Saitou loudly gives his order, abandoning his calm atmosphere.

This shows the urgency of the situation. And his subordinates who understood that immediately filled with tension.

“Absolutely stop them here!”

“””Yes, Sir!”””

After being given the order, all of them immediately scattered all the way toward their place.

The Zalda Kingdom against Ortomea Empire. The battle of both armies begins to turn into a total war.